EOR&E  WESTINaHOIISE 


UC-NRLF 


FT  OF 


GEORGE  WESTINGHOUSE 

1846 — 1914 


"- 


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A  TRIBUTE 
BY  ARTHUR  WARREN 


NAPOLEON,  at  the  age  of  24 
captured  Toulon  and  was  made 
brigadier'general.  Three  years  later  he 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  world  by 
the  victories  of  his  Italian  campaign. 
William  Pitt  at  the  age  of  24  became 
Prime  Minister  of  England.  George 
Westinghouse  at  24  had  not  only  invented, 
but  had  secured  the  adoption  of  the  air 
brake,  the  most  important  safety  device 
ever  known,  and  the  chief  agency  which 
helped  to  transform  railways  from  their 
primitive  conditions  to  their  present  state 
of  immense  efficiency  and  magnitude. 

George  Westinghouse  did  many  other 
things  of  first  importance  to  mankind, 
and  became  one  of  the  most  famous  and 
honored  men  of  our  time.  In  his  later 
years  he  was  justly  called  "the  greatest 
living  engineer."  Throughout  his  career 
he  afforded  one  of  the  most  remarkable 


examples  of  ingenuity,  persistence,  courage, 
integrity  and  usefulness  that  modern 
history  records.  From  the  time  when 
he  began  to  earn  his  living  he  was  his 
own  master;  he  never  worked  for  salary 
or  wages;  but  he  did  not  begin  with 
money;  he  neither  inherited  any,  nor  was 
given  any  in  any  form.  At  the  outset  he 
was  his  own  capital.  From  his  mind 
came  inventions  on  which  he  founded 
industries  which,  under  his  direction, 
grew  to  huge  dimensions.  He  lived  to 
be  the  head  of  great  manufacturing 
establishments,  which,  in  America  and 
other  countries  employed  50,000  persons 
and  $200,000,000  of  capital. 

He  was  born  in  the  village  of  Central 
Bridge,  Schoharie  County,  New  York, 
October  6,  1846.  He  died  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  March  12, 1914.  He  was  of 
American  parentage  descended  on  his 
10 


father's  side  from  German  ancestry,  and 
on  his  mother's  from  Dutch.  When  he 
was  ten  years  old  his  parents  moved  to 
Schenectady  where  his  father  became  a 
manufacturer  of  agricultural  machinery. 
The  father's  factory  still  stands  there,  and 
is  still  conducted  under  the  Westinghouse 
name.  It  faces  the  huge  establishment  of 
the  corporation  which  became  the  chief 
competitor  of  the  son  whom  these  pages 
commemorate,  and  who  will  have  a  place 
in  our  hearts  while  life  lasts. 

A  clearer  understanding  of  the  man  is 
gained  if  we  know  something  of  the  boy. 
He  was  a  worker,  not  only  a  diligent 
but  a  progressive  one.  During  his  school 
years  he  spent  his  out-of-school  hours, 
his  holidays,  his  school  vacations,  in  his 
father's  machine  shop.  He  did  this  be- 
cause  he  loved  mechanical  work.  He 
learned  the  use  of  tools,  he  studied  en- 
11 


gineering;  he  had  a  zealous  fondness 
for  mathematics.  In  his  early  teens 
he  designed  and  built  a  rotary  engine. 
Between  school  and  college,  he  served  in 
the  Civil  War,  first  with  the  cavalry, 
subsequently  as  a  naval  engineer.  On 
leaving  college  he  invented  a  device  for 
replacing  derailed  cars  on  the  tracks. 
Having  constructed  the  device  he 
traveled  for  the  purpose  of  selling 
it,  developing  thus  early  in  life  the  ca' 
pacity  for  handling  and  financing  his  in' 
ventions  that  made  him  remarkable  in  an 
age  remarkable  for  its  men  of  constructive 
genius. 

His  energy  was  phenomenal.  He 
strode  from  one  achievement  to  another. 
Nothing  daunted  him.  His  life  was  a 
succession  of  contests,  but  it  was  also  rich 
in  victories.  As  there  cannot  be  victories 
without  contests,  it  may  be  appropriate 

12 


to  say  that  his  contests  were  a  result  of 
his  indomitable  passion  for  service.  His 
imagination  was  active  and  it  ranged  far. 
It  enabled  him  not  merely  to  see  oppor' 
tunities  but  to  create  them.  He  used  it 
with  the  ability  of  a  trained  mechanic 
and  the  flaming  ardor  of  a  pioneer.  He 
did  not  work  in  the  field  of  pure  science, 
conducting  research  for  the  sake  of  scien' 
tific  achievement  only,  but,  like  his  friend 
Lord  Kelvin,  the  greatest  scientific  mind 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  he  was  keen 
for  making  the  revelations  of  science 
serve  the  needs  of  man. 

Much  has  been  written  in  celebration 
of  his  foresight.  It  had  an  extraordinary 
part  in  his  life.  Most  men  have  their 
convictions  thrust  upon  them  against  their 
inclination;  his  came  as  an  effect  of  what 
Tyndall  called  "the  scientific  use  of  the 
imagination."  When  he  began  work  on  a 

13 


subject  he  looked  all  around  it,  and 
through  it,  and  as  it  were,  calculated  its 
expansive  powers.  From  the  beginning  he 
practiced  the  standardization  of  parts,  a 
course  of  first  importance  both  to  mami' 
facturers  and  users  of  apparatus.  And 
when  alternating  current  apparatus  was 
invented  he  saw,  sooner  than  anyone  else, 
the  possibilities  of  that  current's  service. 
More  than  to  any  other  man,  the  intro' 
duction  and  development  of  alternating 
current  systems  for  light  and  power  were 
due.  But  he  had  to  subdue  scepticism, 
and  bitter  and  powerful  opposition  in  that 
work.  For  years  he  fought  every  inch  of 
the  way,  against  continuous  efforts  not 
only  to  prevent  but  to  crush  him.  What 
does  not  the  world  owe  to  his  memory 
for  his  valiant  advance?  Many  times  he 
accomplished  what  other  men  declared 
would  be  impossible — first  the  air  brake, 


14 


then  the  safe  and  economic  distribution 
of  natural  gas  for  industrial  power  and 
domestic  fuel;  then  the  mechanisms  for 
the  alternating  current;  in  later  years  the 
air  spring  and  the  geared  turbine. 

He  took  big  views,  he  applied  his 
ideas  in  a  big  way,  solving  his  problems 
on  a  generous  scale.  When  he  under- 
took the  solution  of  geared 'turbine 
problems  in  connection  with  the  propul' 
sion  of  ships,  he  built  an  experimental 
installation,  not  timidly  and  of  small  dimen" 
sions,  but  of  6000  horsepower.  He 
proved  what  he  sought  to  prove,  and 
then  went  on  to  improve  that.  And  men 
ceased  to  doubt.  But  years  before  this 
he  had  been  the  first  to  take  up  actively 
the  steam  turbine  problems  to  which 
Parsons,  in  England,  had  opened  the  way 
by  the  performances  of  a  fast  little  boat, 
the  TURBINIA.  He  bought  the  Parsons 

15 


patents  for  America  and  applied  them  to 
electrical  work,  driving  generators.  But 
as  in  almost  all  the  cases  of  his  purchase 
of  other  men's  patents,  he  had  to  redesign 
and  rebuild  the  apparatus  "from  the 
ground  up,"  to  meet  American  conditions 
and  the  problems  he  had  set  himself. 
He  went  through  an  experience  like  this 
with  the  alternating  current  patents  of 
Gaulard  and  Gibbs,  and  with  the  gas  en" 
gine,  with  the  air  spring.  If  it  be  asked 
why  he  bought  patents  only  to  do  the 
work  all  over  again,  the  answer  is  that 
although  he  found  his  way  the  better 
way,  he  always  encouraged  men  who  had 
useful  ideas.  Himself  an  inventor  he 
sympathized  with  inventors,  and  he  knew 
what  it  meant  to  bring  forth  and  develop 
ideas.  He  was  always  fair  and  often  gen' 
erous,  and  it  was  his  habit  to  give  to 
others  credit  for  what  they  had  done. 

16 


Two  further  instances  of  his  "looking 
ahead"  may  be  cited  here.  In  the  early 
days  of  the  commercial  use  of  the  tele' 
phone  he  designed  and  built  a  complete 
automatic  central  exchange  system.  But 
nobody  appreciated  it,  and  his  patents 
expired  before  the  telephone  people  and 
the  public  could  be  persuaded  that  an 
automatic  system  could  be  useful,  or  would 
be  needed.  By  this  time  he  was  too 
much  engrossed  in  other  departments  of 
electrical  work  to  give  the  matter  further 
attention.  Again:  —  When  the  Inter' 
borough  Rapid  Transit  Co.  was  compelled 
by  the  enormous  increase  of  traffic  to 
lengthen  its  trains  in  the  New  York  Sub' 
way,  and  to  operate  them  at  closer  intervals 
and  at  higher  speeds,  it  found  that  it  must 
save  time,  not  by  minutes  but  by  seconds 
and  fractions  of  seconds  in  making  up, 
coupling  and  uncoupling  cars,  and  the  air 

17 


and  electric  connections.  It  was  learned 
that  Mr.  Westinghouse  had,  fully  a  dozen 
years  before,  invented  and  perfected  an 
automatic  coupler  which  not  only  held 
cars  rigidly  together  as  a  "solid"  train, 
but  also  with  a  single  motion  coupled  or 
uncoupled  the  cars  and  the  electric  and 
air  connections.  His  original  invention 
also  coupled  the  steam  pipes  at  the  same 
time,  but  steam,  of  course,  was  not  needed 
on  the  electric  trains.  Mr.  Westinghouse 
had  been  half  a  generation  ahead  of  the 
times  in  this  invention,  and  the  subway 
trains  were  the  first  to  adopt  it.  He  had 
foreseen  that  such  conditions  must  arise, 
and  he  was  prepared  for  them  before  any 
railroad  realized  that  it  would  ever  have 
to  deal  with  them. 

This  little  book  cannot  dwell  upon  all 
that  George  Westinghouse  did;  it  can 
only  glance  at  the  nature  of  his  life  work, 

18 


and  can  no  more  than  suggest  the  charac- 
ter of  the  man.  His  achievements  were 
great,  but  greater  than  all  was  his  charac' 
ter.  From  association  with  him  men 
caught  inspiration.  He  radiated  enthu' 
siasm  and  energy.  He  demanded  honest 
work  and  honest  dealing.  All  that  he 
was,  he  gave  forth  to  whatever  work  he 
had  in  hand.  He  imposed  no  limitations 
upon  his  own  hours,  nor  upon  his  own  out" 
put  of  energy.  He  believed  sincerely  that 
his  mission  was  to  be  useful ;  and  he  was 
useful  to  the  extent  that  few  men  ever 
dreamed  of  being.  His  personality  was 
both  compelling  and  persuasive.  You 
believed  in  that  clear-eyed,  enthusiastic 
man  whose  face  was  lighted  with  eager- 
ness and  sincerity.  And  they  that  were 
associated  with  him  gave  him  their  loyal 
affection.  He  was  tireless  and  knew  no 
fear.  He  was  considerate  of  other  men, 

19 


especially  of  labor,  and  his  men  knew 
that.  They  knew  he  was  the  most  con' 
stant  worker  in  all  the  Westinghouse 
forces;  that  he  could  do  whatever  any  of 
them  could  do.  Their  faith  was  never 
shaken.  His  integrity  was  as  firm  as  a 
mountain  range.  His  tastes  were  simple; 
his  honor  never  tarnished;  his  life  was 
open  for  all  to  read;  he  was  free  from  any 
desire  for  parade.  It  was  true  of  him 
that  he  never  cared  for  wealth  as  a  pos' 
session;  he  valued  it  only  as  a  tool,  an 
instrument  which  enabled  him  to  carry 
out  his  ideas.  He  was  as  unostentatious 
at  the  height  of  his  power  and  fortune, 
as  when  he  was  obscure  in  youth.  He 
was  a  great  man:  — 

"    *     *     *     take  him  for  all  in  all, 
We  shall  not  look  upon  his  like  again." 


20 


IMPORTANT  EVENTS 


1846 

Born  in  Central  Bridge,  Schoharie  County, 
New  York. 


1856 

Moved  to  Schenectady,  N.  Y.  with  his  father 
who  there  established  the  Schenectady 
Agricultural  Works. 

1857-1860 

Attended   school   and    worked    in   father's 
factory. 

1861 
Invented  a  Rotary  Engine. 


1863-1865 

In  army  and  navy  during  the  Civil  War, 
being  honorably  discharged  at  own  request 
from  position  of  Assistant  Engineer,  United 
States  Navy. 

1865-1866 

Resumed  studies,  entering  Union  College  at 
Schenectady,  N.  Y. 

1866 

First  railway  invention  —  device  made  of 
cast  steel  for  replacing  derailed  cars,  also 
reversible  steel  railroad  frog. 

1867 

Conceived  the  idea  of  the  air  brake.  Mar- 
ried Margaret  Erskine  Walker.  Removed 
to  Pittsburgh. 

1868 
First  successful  test  of  the  air  brake  was  made. 


24 


1869 

Organized,  at  23  years  of  age,  the  Westing- 
house  Air  Brake  Company,  of  which  he  be- 
came President  and  so  remained  until 
removed  by  death. 

1870 

Made  his  first  trip  to  Europe  to  introduce 
the  air  brake.  Designed  and  built  a  jet 
steam  turbine. 

1871 

Inaugurated  Saturday  half  holiday  at  Air 
Brake  Company,  an  innovation  since  almost 
universally  adopted. 

1872-1874 

Made  extensive  air  brake  tests  in  England 
and  Belgium. 

1876 

Designed  and  built  a  complete  automatic 
central  telephone  exchange  system. 

1879 

Invented  a  pneumatic  system  of  interlock- 
ing signals,  operated  by  compressed  air. 

25 


1880 

The  Westinghouse  Machine  Company  was 
organized  for  the  purpose  of  building  high 
speed  engines  designed  by  his  brother,  H.  H. 
Westinghouse. 

1881 

The  Union  Switch  6z  Signal  Company  organ- 
ized to  manufacture  the  Pneumatic  Inter- 
locking Switch  and  Signal  apparatus. 

1884 

Invented  a  complete  system  for  transmitting 
natural  gas  through  pipes,  and  a  meter  for 
measuring  same. 

1885 

Realized  the  possibilities  of  alternating  cur- 
rent and  purchased  the  transformer  patents 
of  Gaulard  and  Gibbs  in  England. 

1886 

Organized  the  Westinghouse  Electric  Com- 
pany for  the  manufacture  of  electric  lighting 
apparatus. 

26 


1887 

Engaged  Nikola  Tesla  who  developed  the 
alternating  current  induction  motor.  The 
famous  Burlington  air  brake  trials  took 
place,  resulting  in  the  successful  develop- 
ment of  the  instantaneous  application  of  the 
air  brake  to  all  cars  of  a  long  train. 

1889 

Air  Brake  Company  works  removed  from 
Pittsburgh  to  Wilmerding.  Beginning  of 
controversy  over  alternating  current,  the 
successful  outcome  of  which  has  fully  justi- 
fied belief  and  confidence  of  Mr.  Westing- 
house  in  this  form  of  energy. 

1891 

Reorganized  the  Westinghouse  Electric  Com- 
pany, taking  in  the  United  States  Electric 
Company  and  Consolidated  Electric  Light 
Company,  forming  the  Westinghouse  Elec- 
tric &  Manufacturing  Company. 

1892 

Secured  through  personal  efforts  the  con- 
tract from  the  World's  Fair  at  Chicago  for 
the  electrical  equipment. 

27 


1894 

Secured  the  contract  for  the  large  generators 
at  Niagara  Falls,  which  marked  an  important 
epoch  in  the  progress  of  the  electrical  industry. 

Works  of  the  Westinghouse  Electric  &  Manu- 
facturing Company  moved  to  East  Pittsburgh. 

1896 

Manufactured  an  800  horsepower  gas  engine 
at  works  of  the  Machine  Company. 

1897 

Secured  patent  rights  from  Charles  A.  Par- 
sons of  England  for  steam  turbine. 

1898 

First  Westinghouse  steam  turbines  were 
installed  in  power  plant  of  Westinghouse 
Air  Brake  Company,  Wilmerding,  Pa. 

1902 

British  Company  built  plant  at  Manchester, 
England. 

1904 

Received  idea  fromMellville-Mc  Alpine  report 
of  the  mechanical  reduction  gear  for  turbines. 

28 


1905 

Served  with  Grover  Cleveland,  and  Justice 
Morgan  J.  O'Brien,  as  a  trustee  of  the 
Equitable  Life  Assurance  Society. 

1908 

Successfully  reorganized  the  Westinghouse 
Electric  &  Manufacturing  Company. 

1910 

Began   development   of   Westinghouse   Air 
Spring  for  automobiles. 

1912 

Installed  Mechanical  Reduction  Gear  on 
United  States  Collier,  Neptune,  proving  it 
a  complete  success. 

1913 

Reorganized    the    financial    affairs    of    the 
Westinghouse  Machine  Company. 


1914 

Reduction  gear  ordered  by  United  States 
Navy  Department  for  installation  on  two 
new  Battleships  and  a  repair  ship  in  prefer- 
ence to  any  other  similar  device  offered. 

1914 
March  12,  died  in  New  York  City. 


HONORS  CONFERRED 

1874 

Awarded  Benjamin  Franklin  medal  for  the 
invention  of  the  Air  Brake  by  the  Franklin 
Institute,  Philadelphia. 

1884 

Received  the  order  of  Leopold  of  Belgium  from 
the  King  of  Belgium. 

1889 

Received  the  order  of  the  Royal  Crown  of  Italy 
from  the  King  of  Italy. 

1891 

Received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy 
from  Union  College. 

1895 

Made  a  member  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  of 
France. 

31 


1905 

Awarded  the  John  Fritz  medal  by  the  four 
American  Engineering  Societies. 

1906 

Received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws  from 
Konigliche  Technische  Hochschule,  Berlin. 

1910 

President  of  American  Society  of  Mechanical 
Engineers. 

1912 

Awarded  the  Edison  medal  for  meritorious 
achievements  in  the  development  of  the  alter- 
nating current  system  by  the  American  Institute 
of  Electrical  Engineers. 

1913 

Awarded  Grashoff  medal  by  the  Verein 
Deutsche  Ingenieure  for  distinguished  services 
rendered  to  technology — the  first  American  to 
receive  this  honor. 


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